Final thoughts on Stricker and the John Deere Classic

Some final thoughts and observations about Steve Stricker and the 2012 John Deere Classic:

* Stricker hit three errant drives on the back nine Sunday, but he left for the British Open more worried about his putter than his driver. And for good reason. He has been struggling with his putting for much of this year and said it was his performance on the greens -- and not a few loose shots -- that cost him a chance to win the John Deere for a fourth consecutive year. Stricker missed several short putts in the final round, which seemed to deflate him. The 9-footer for par that he missed on No. 14, after he drove it in the hazard, took a penalty drop and then hit a beautiful flop shot, was a killer. "I don't really have a ton of confidence with the putter," he said. "I wasn't feeling very good about it. That's the thing that you need to have working good to win."

* TPC Deere Run yields a lot of low scores -- Paul Goydos shot a 59 two years ago and Stricker shot a 60 on the same day -- but there aren't many courses on the PGA Tour that produce more drama on an annual basis. The final five holes include a driveable par-4, a difficult par-4, a par-3, a par-5 on which eagle is possible and a closing par-4 that demands two good shots. "I think D.A. (Weibring) designed a true tournament test with the final five holes," said Clair Peterson, the tournament director. "Over that stretch there are so many things that can happen: bogeys, double-bogeys, birdies, eagles. You can go back to the first year we were here, in 2000, and talk about what transpired over those final five holes." TPC Deere Run is proof that a course doesn't need a bunch of 475-yard par-4s to provide drama. As for all the low scores? "The spectators never complain," Peterson said.

* Zach Johnson, who grew up 90 miles from the Quad Cities in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was a popular champion. If Stricker wasn't going to four-peat, Johnson winning was the next-best thing. "To me, it's a continuation of what we've enjoyed the last three years," said Peterson, a Milwaukee native. "You've got a down-to-earth humble Midwesterner that represents your event; and Steve made an unbelievable attempt to make history. He came up a bit short but passed the baton to Zach, a humble, appreciative, down-to-earth Midwesterner who just happens to be on our board and grew up an hour away from here. We're beside ourselves. We couldn't ask for a better scenario."

* Stricker walked up the 18th fairway Sunday to a standing ovation. He didn't win the JDC but he gave it a good run and finished T-5. "I just admire so much what he did," Peterson said. "He went into this week with a big historic burden to carry and he carried it. He's basically been leading the tournament for four years. He played great. He probably would admit that he wished the back nine (Sunday) would have turned out different. But what an amazing run he had, and it carried all the way up till the last hour."